Manhattan University Athletics

Men
Men's Hoops Meets Canisius Sunday at 4:30pm in Pivotal Finale
Manhattan Athletic Department
Men's Basketball
Posted: 3/1/2014 9:30:00 PM

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RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Manhattan enters the game having won seven of its last eight games, including a dramatic 80-77 win over first-place Iona at Draddy Gym on Friday night. Canisius also won on Friday, winning at Rider heading into a pivotal regular season finale for both teams.

MAAC TOURNAMENT SEEDING
With a victory over Canisius on Sunday, Manhattan will finish with either the second or third seed in next week's MAAC tournament. If Quinnipiac wins at Marist on Sunday at 2pm, the Jaspers will be the #3 seed with a win over Canisius. If Marist defeats Quinnipiac and Manhattan defeats Canisius, the Jaspers will be the #2 seed. A Manhattan loss to Canisius drops the Jaspers to the #4 seed regardless of the other results in league play on Sunday afternoon.

SO LONG, SENIORS
Manhattan's senior class of Michael Alvarado, George Beamon and Rhamel Brown will take the court for the final time at Draddy Gym today. The class has won 20 games twice as a group and is the first trio in Manhattan College history to score 1,000 points. In 2010-11, the Jaspers won six games and then posted the nation's largest turnaround with 15 more wins the next season, a 21-13 campaign in 2011-12 in head coach Steve Masiello's first year at the helm. The trio then helped lead Manhattan to its first MAAC championship appearance in nine years.

HOME SWEET HOME
Manhattan has won seven of its last last eight games at Draddy Gymnasium, all within the conference. The Jaspers have won 11 of their last 13 MAAC games at Draddy Gymnasium, dating back to last season.

THE SERIES WITH CANISUS
Manhattan leads the all-time series with Canisius, 50-33. The Jaspers have won four of the last five meetings with the Golden Griffins.

LAST TIME VS. CANISUS
Facing a hostile sellout crowd, Manhattna led from start to finish for the second straight game, defeating Canisius 84-73 at the Koessler Athletic Center on Friday, February 7. George Beamon exploded for 27 points in the game while Ashton Pankey posted a season-high 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots for the Jaspers. Shane Richards added 14 and Michael Alvarado chipped in with 11 points and five assists.

IT'S MARCH
Manhattan posted a 7-1 record during the month of February, continuing a trend that began last year when the Jaspers went 5-2 during February. They are 12-3 in February during the last two seasons, heading into the pivotal month of March, beginning with today's regular season finale against Canisius.

JASPERS WIN #20
Manhattan's 75-61 win at Monmouth on February 19 was the 20th victory for the Jaspers this season. Manhattan has now won 21 games in two of the last three seasons under third-year head coach Steve Masiello.

ROAD WARRIORS
Manhattan is tied for first in the nation with Wichita State and Stephen F. Austin with 12 wins in true road games. The Jaspers have 13 wins away from Draddy Gymnasium, which lead all Division I programs. Four of the six wins during the Jaspers' current win streak have come on the road, including wins at Canisius, Niagara, Rider and Monmouth.

Wichita State 12-0
Stephen F. Austin 12-2
Manhattan 12-4

BEAMON, ALVARADO, BROWN BYPASS 1,000 POINTS
Manhattan's senior class of Michael Alvarado, George Beamon and Rhamel Brown has been one of the most prolific senior classes in recent Jasper history. Beamon recently moved into fourth place on the Manhattan career scoring list, while Alvarado and Brown passed the 1,000-point mark earlier this season. The trio of Beamon, Alvarado and Brown is the first senior class in Manhattan College history to score more than 1,000 points.

Name  Years   Games   Points
1. Luis Flores  2001-04   89 games 2,046
2. Keith Bullock   1989-93 120 games    1,992
3. Tim Cain 1981-85 108 games 1,872
4. George Beamon 2009-pres. 115 games 1,768
5. Durelle Brown   1997-01 112 games 1,634
6. Peter Runge 1986-90 103 games 1,622
7. Steve Grant 1974-78 103 games 1,610
8. Larry Lembo 1962-65 66 games 1,443
9. Darryl Crawford   2006-10 121 games 1,431
10. George Bucci 1972-75 79 games 1,331
11. John Leonard 1978-82 103 games 1,329
12. Jamal Marshall    1991-95 117 games 1,307
13. Dave Holmes 2000-04 112 games 1,291
      John Marren 1967-70 70 games 1,291
15. Brian Mahoney 1968-71 72 games 1,289
...........      
27. Michael Alvarado   2010-pres. 113 games 1,134
29. Rhamel Brown 2010-pres.   125 games 1,108

BEAMON IS BACK
Manhattan senior George Beamon is averaging 22.4 points during Manhattan's last seven games. He has scored 20+ points in 15 of his 25 games this season.

Nov. 9  at La Salle  24 points
Nov. 12   at Columbia   28 points
Nov. 16    vs. George Washington    34 points
Nov. 20 at Illinois State 20 points
Nov. 26 vs. Fordham 24 points
Dec. 15 at UNC Wilmington 23 points
Dec. 17  at South Carolina 26 points
Dec. 21 vs. Buffalo 22 points
Jan. 2 at Saint Peter's  28 points
Jan. 24 vs. Rider 21 points
Feb. 7         at Canisius 27 points
Feb. 9 at Niagara 20 points
Feb. 13 at Rider 22 points
Feb. 16 vs. Niagara 27 points
Feb. 19 at Monmouth 31 points

Beamon has also posted five double-doubles this season, leading the team in rebounds with 6.8 per game:

November 24   vs. Fordham   24 points   11 rebounds
December 6 at Marist 12 points 10 rebounds
January 2 at Saint Peter's   28 points 10 rebounds
January 26 vs. Quinnipiac 12 points  12 rebounds
February 28 vs. Iona 13 points 11 rebounds

WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?
Manhattan senior Rhamel Brown has blocked at least one shot in every game and has blocked four or more shots 15 times. He currently ranks second in the nation in blocks.

1. Jordan Bachynski   7'2"   Arizona State   4.14
2. Rhamel Brown 6'7" Manhattan 3.93
3. Khem Birch 6'9" UNLV  3.71
4. D.J. Cunningham 6'10"   UNC Asheville 3.50
5. Sim Bhullar 7'5" New Mexico State   3.45

RHAMEL'S BLOCK PARTY
The Jaspers' all-time leader in blocked shots, Rhamel Brown recently broke his single-season blocked shots record, previously set last season.

1. Rhamel Brown 2013-14  110
2. Rhamel Brown 2012-13   95
3.  Rhamel Brown  2007-11 84
4. Arturo Dubois 1986-90 74
5. Rhamel Brown 2005-08 68

Brown is also the active leader in career blocked shots among all Division I players. 

1. Rhamel Brown   Manhattan   357
2. Jyles Smith Savannah State   304
4. Alec Brown Green Bay 301
3. Jordan Bachynski   Arizona State 300
5. Daniel Miller Georgia Tech 271

BOUNDING AND ASTOUNDING
Not only is Brown the Jaspers' all-time shot block king, he ranks among Manhattan's top ten in career rebounds, coming down with more than 700 rebounds during his career.

Name   Years    Rebounds
1. Bill Campion    1972-75   1,070
2. Keith Bullock 1989-93 1,012
3. Steve Grant 1974-78 940
4. Peter Runge 1986-90 894
5. Bob Mealy 1957-60 872
6. Jason Hoover 1993-97 865
7. Dave Holmes    2000-04 826
8. Rhamel Brown 2010-pres.   781
9. Angelo Lombardo      1954-57     739
10. Jamal Marshall 1991-95 716

AWESOME ALVARADO
Despite missing most of Friday's game vs. Iona due to an injury suffered in the first half, Michael Alvarado tied Charles Dubra '92 for fifth place on Manhattan's all-time assists list. Alvarado currently ranks fourth in the MAAC in assists and leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.8:1.

Name   Years    Assists  
1. Ed Lawson  1983-85, 86-88   447
2. Phil Lane 1996-2000 419
3. Charlie Mahoney 1972-75 384
4. Tom Courtney 1975-79 367
5. Michael Alvarado   2010-pres. 355
   Charles Dubra 1988-92 355
7. Jason Wingate 2002-06 334
8. Mugsy Green 2000-02 308
9.  Keaton Hyman 1992-95 301
10. Carey Wilson 1989-93 286

EMMY AWARD WINNING
Junior Emmy Andujar had a fantastic all-around game vs. Iona on Friday, Feb. 28. Andujar shattered his career high with 28 points on 12 of 18 made field goals. He pulled down six rebounds, dished out three assists and had three steals. He also blocked Iona's attempted layup at the end of regulation to keep the game tied at 71.

STORES READY FOR BUSINESS
Junior RaShawn Stores has started the last 20 games for the Jaspers and played arguably his best basketball of the season during the month of February. Against Iona on Feb. 28, Stores handed out five assists without a turnover, picking up some of the ball handling duties after Michael Alvarado left the game in the first half.

PANKEY PROVIDING SOLID POST PLAY
Sophomore Ashton Pankey has started the last 16 contests for Manhattan. Pankey made six of seven field goals vs. Niagara on Feb. 16 to finish with 12 points. In that game, Pankey pulled down five rebounds and blocked two shots in 21 minutes of action.

RICHARDS BURNING THE NETS FROM DISTANCE
Sophomore Shane Richards made two three-pointers in the Jaspers' Feb. 28 game vs. Iona to move into sixth place on Manhattan's all-time three-pointers list. Teammate George Beamon, despite making just six three-poitners in his first two seasons at Manhattan, currently ranks 11th on the program's career list for made triples in a season.

Name   Years   Games   3FGs
1. Devon Austin   2005-09   111 games   165
2. Luis Flores 2001-04 90 games 163
3. Steve McDowell   1994-98 100 games 145
4. Mike Konovelchick    2002-06 118 games 142
5. Charles Dubra 1988-92     118 games     136
6. Shane Richards 2012-pres. 60 games 134
7. Chris Williams 1989-93 117 games 132
8. Kidani Brutus 2010-12 63 games 126
9. Jeff Xavier 2004-06 60 games 125
10. Ted Ellis 1991-96 80 games 122
11. George Beamon 2009-pres.   114 games 113

RICHLY DESERVED
Freshman Rich Williams matched his career high with 14 points in Manhattan's 90-72 victory over Niagara on Feb. 16. Williams made 5-of-11 field goals in a variety of spots on the court, along with four of six free throws in 20 minutes off the Manhattan bench.

HEY, MISTER WILSON
Freshman Tyler Wilson had a strong game against Iona on Friday, Feb. 28. Handling the ball for a majority of the second half and overtime, Wilson finished the game with seven points and three steals.

KATES SOLID OFF THE BENCH
Junior Donovan Kates has provided a steady presence off the Manhattan bench this season. Against Quinnipiac on January 26, Kates scored eight points in 15 minutes, nailing each of his two three-point attempts. He also finished with a pair of rebounds.

MASIELLO REACHES 50 WINS
Manhattan head coach Steve Masiello earned his 50th career victory in the Jaspers' 64-49 home victory over Saint Peter's on February 4. Masiello owns a career record of 56-38 in his third year on the Jaspers' sidelines. He is the fastest Manhattan head coach to reach 50 victories since Manhattan College Hall of Famer Fran Fraschilla won 50 games midway through his third season at the helm of the Jaspers.

Masiello also ranks among Manhattan's top head coaches in career winning percentage (minimum 75 games):

Fran Fraschilla   1992-96   86-34   .716
Neil Cohalan 1929-42 165-82   .668
Bobby Gonzalez     1999-2006    129-77 .626
Steve Masiello 2011-pres.     56-38 .596
Jack Powers 1968-78 142-114     .555

MANHATTAN AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
The Jaspers are ranked among the nation's top 100 in several statistical categories, in games played through Thursday, February 27.

Category   Rank     Actual
Free Throw Attempts 3 874
Blocks/Game 5 6.4
Free Throws Made 8 582
Steals/Game 16 8.5
Scoring Offense 36 77.7
Win/Loss % 39 74.1
Offensive Rebounds/Game    50 12.8
Field Goal % Defense 52 40.6
Scoring Margin 57 +7.1
Turnover Margin 85 +1.4
3-Point Field Goal % 86 36.5
3-Point Field Goal % Defense    94 32.8
Category   Player   Rank   Actual
Blocks/Game Rhamel Brown 2 3.93 bpg  
Points/Game George Beamon 28  19.9 ppg 
Free Throws Made George Beamon 30 158
Free Throw % George Beamon 55 85.9% 
Free Throw Attempts    Michael Alvarado   75 186
  George Beamon 82 184
3-Point FG/Game   Shane Richards 78 2.48

MANHATTAN IN THE MAAC
As of February 28, the Jaspers rank atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in several statistical categories:

Category   Rank   Actual
Scoring Margin    1st +7.0
Field Goal % Defense   1st 40.7%
Blocks/Game 1st 6.5
Steals/Game 1st 8.6

Six different Jaspers also rank among the MAAC's top ten in several statistical categories:

Category   Player   Rank   Actual
Scoring  George Beamon    3rd 19.6
Rebounding   George Beamon 8th 6.8
Field Goal Pct.   Rhamel Brown 4th 52.9% 
Assists Michael Alvarado     4th 4.2
Free Throw Pct.    George Beamon 2nd 85.2
Steals Michael Alvarado 5th 1.5
  George Beamon      6th 1.4
  Emmy Andujar 10th 1.3
Three-Point FG Pct. Shane Richards 7th 41.6
Three-Pointers Made    Shane Richards 4th 2.5
Blocks Rhamel Brown 1st 3.9
  Ashton Pankey T-9th 1.1
Assist/Turnover Ratio     Michael Alvarado 1st 1.8:1
Offensive Rebounds Rhamel Brown T-5th     2.9
Defensive Rebounds George Beamon 5th 5.0

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
Manhattan limited Siena to 37.3 percent shooting from the field in its last game on February 21. The Jaspers are 11-3 this season when holding opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Not only has Manhattan averaged 6.4 three-pointers per game, the Jaspers have defended the three-point line well. This season, Manhattan has limited opponents to 33.2 percent from beyond the arc. The Jaspers have held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from three-point range in 18 of their 21 wins this season.

I'LL TAKE THAT
The Jaspers have used their pressure defense to force the most number of steals in the conference and rank 14th in the country as of February 27. The Jaspers had 10 steals against Iona in their win on February 28.

MANHATTAN WINS 1,300TH GAME
The Jaspers' 78-77 victory at Niagara on Sunday, Feb. 9 was the 1,300th win in men's basketball program history. In its 108th season, the Jaspers own an all-time record of 1,304-1,155.

WORKING OVERTIME
Manhattan has played five overtime games this year and has won four of them, including the thrilling overtime victory over the Gaels on ESPN2 on Friday, February 28.

LIFE BEGINS AT 70
During the offseason, head coach Steve Masiello preached a faster pace to his team. That has resulted in final scores above 70 points in 23 of Manhattan's 28 games. Manhattan's 77.8 points per game rank among the top 50 teams in the nation, rank second in the conference and are nearly 20 points per game more than its average of 58.3 points per game during the 2012-13 season.

NEW YORK STATE OF MIND
Of the 13 players on the Manhattan roster, nine hail from the greater New York metropolitan area, including eight from the five boroughs of New York City. The Jaspers also have players from Illinois (CJ Jones), Kentucky (Donovan Kates), New Hampshire (Trevor Glassman) and New Jersey (Carlton Allen). Below are the nine players from the New York City area and their respective high schools.

Name   Hometown   High School
Michael Alvarado   Bronx All Hallows
Emmy Andujar Bronx Rice
George Beamon Roslyn, L.I.   Roslyn
Rhamel Brown Brooklyn Transit Tech
Ashton Pankey Bronx St. Anthony's
Shane Richards New York City   York Prep
RaShawn Stores    Bronx All Hallows
Rich Williams Brooklyn Transit Tech
Tyler Wilson Bronx Cardinal Hayes

THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS
Manhattan limited Siena to 37.3 percent shooting from the field in its last game on February 21. The Jaspers are 10-3 this season when holding opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from the field.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
Not only has Manhattan averaged 6.4 three-pointers per game, the Jaspers have defended the three-point line well. This season, Manhattan has limited opponents to 32.8 percent from beyond the arc. The Jaspers have held opponents to less than 40 percent shooting from three-point range in 17 of their 20 wins this season.

I'LL TAKE THAT
The Jaspers have used their pressure defense to force the most number of steals in the conference and rank 14th in the country as of February 23. The Jaspers forced 15 Niagara turnovers during their 90-72 win.

MANHATTAN WINS 1,300TH GAME
The Jaspers' 78-77 victory at Niagara on Sunday, Feb. 9 was the 1,300th win in men's basketball program history. In its 108th season, the Jaspers own an all-time record of 1,303-1,155.

MANHATTAN INKS FOUR IN CLASS OF 2018
Manhattan College men's basketball coach Steve Masiello and his staff have inked four standout incoming student-athletes during the NCAA early signing period. Nazareth (N.Y.) high school teammates Samson Akilo, a 6-foot-8 forward, and Samson Usilo, a 6-foot-4 wing, will join the Jaspers along with 6-foot-8 wing Calvin Crawford (Middletown, N.Y.) and 6-foot-9 wing Zane Waterman (Fayetteville, N.C.) in a highly regarded Manhattan class of 2018. “It's a very important class, losing three seniors in Michael AlvaradoGeorge Beamon and Rhamel Brown, who mean a great deal to this program,” Masiello said. “We wanted to have a very strong class overall to really complement what we have on this team. I give a ton of credit to our staff, especially Rasheen Davis and Mathiew Wilson, for their help in recruiting this excellent group of young men.”

MANHATTAN ATOP MAAC POLL
The Jaspers were picked atop the 2013-14 MAAC preseason poll, as voted by the conference's 11 head coaches. Defending champion Iona was picked second, followed by Canisius, Rider, Marist, Fairfield, Quinnipiac, Niagara, Saint Peter's, Siena and Monmouth.

NEW LOOK MAAC
This season marks the first time since the 1997-98 season that the MAAC has a different conference alignment. Loyola left the MAAC for the Patriot League at the conclusion of the 2012-13 academic year and was replaced by former Northeast Conference members Monmouth and Quinnipiac. As a result of the league's expansion from 10 to 11 schools, the conference schedule was also expanded. Each team will now play 20 MAAC games per season, up from 18.

MAAC TOURNAMENT CHANGES
With the addition of Monmouth and Quinnipiac bringing conference membership to 11 schools, the MAAC Tournament will have a new format this season. The top five teams at the conclusion of the regular season will have a bye into the quarterfinals, while the remaining six teams will play first-round games on March 6. There will be a day off before the quarterfinals that begin on March 8, followed by the semifinals on March 9. The MAAC Championship game on Monday, March 10, will once again be nationally televised on ESPN2. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be broadcast on ESPN3.

BACK TO ALBANY
The 2014 MAAC Tournament will be held at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., for the third consecutive year from March 6-10. This marks the final year in which the tournament will be held in Springfield. In 2015, the event returns to its former home - the Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.

NEW FACES, OLD PLACES
There are two new, but familiar faces, on the Manhattan sidelines this season. Mathiew Wilson, formerly the director of basketball operations, was promoted to an assistant coach position on Steve Masiello's staff over the summer. Masiello then brought in former colleague Mike Bramucci to fill the director of operations slot. Bramucci and Masiello coached together at Manhattan College from 2001-03.

Roberto Colonette, a 2013 Manhattan College graduate and two-year letterwinner, is also on the staff this season as the team's strength and conditioning coach. Colonette is currently enrolled in the Manhattan College School of Continuing and Professional Studies, pursuing his Master's degree in organizational leadership.

FLORES NAMED TO MAAC HONOR ROLL
Former Manhattan standout Luis Flores '04 will be part of the MAAC Honor Roll, at the Basketball Hall of Fame, joining other Jasper greats Keith Bullock '93 and Jack Powers '58, who were inducted in the last two years. Flores is recognized as one of the greatest players in Manhattan College history, and helped engineer one of the greatest wins in school history. He scored 26 points to lead 12th-seeded Manhattan to a 75-60 victory over fifth-seeded Florida in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 18, 2004.

BROWN, MAHONEY INDUCTED INTO MC HALL OF FAME
Former Manhattan greats Durelle Brown '01 and Charles Mahoney '75 were recently inducted into the Manhattan College Athletic Hall of Fame. Brown ranks among the top 10 in field goals made and field goal percentage in a career. Fourth on the all-time points list with 1,634, Brown was also dominant on the boards, pulling down 6.1 per game in his junior and senior years. He was named first team All-MAAC during his junior and senior years and All-Metropolitan second team in 2000-01. Mahoney set a Manhattan career assist record of 394 in only three years. The high school New York State Tournament State Championship MVP, Mahoney scored 389 points as a freshman and added 904 during his varsity years for a total of 1,293 points. Coaches and sportswriters alike considered Charlie one of the best point guards in the metropolitan area.

WATCH AND LISTEN ON GOJASPERS.COM
For the 16th year, Manhattan College men's basketball games will be broadcast live over the internet on GoJaspers.com. Former Jasper greats Brian Mahoney and Chris Williams return as the color analysts, alongside play-by-play broadcaster Christian Heimall. Each broadcast will begin with the “Steve Masiello Pre-Game Report” 15 minutes prior to tipoff.

WHAT'S A JASPER?
The unique nickname of Manhattan College's athletic teams, the Jaspers, comes from one of the College's most memorable figures, Brother Jasper of Mary, F.S.C., who served as the College's athletic director in the late 19th century. One of the greatest achievements of Brother Jasper was that he brought the then little-known sport of baseball to Manhattan College and became the team's first coach.

Since Brother Jasper was also the Prefect of Discipline, he supervised the student fans at Manhattan College baseball games while also directing the team itself. During one particularly warm and humid day when Manhattan College was playing a semi-pro baseball team called the Metropolitans, Brother Jasper noticed the Manhattan students were becoming restless and edgy as Manhattan came to bat in the seventh inning of a close game. To relieve the tension, Brother Jasper called timeout and told the students to stand up and stretch for a few minutes until the game resumed. Since the College annually played the New York Giants in the late 1880's and into the 1890s at the old Polo Grounds, the Manhattan College practice of the “seventh inning stretch” spread into the major leagues, where it has now become a time-honored custom practiced by millions of fans annually.

108TH SEASON OF JASPERS BASKETBALL
In its 108th season, the Manhattan College men's basketball program boasts a 1283-1148 overall record and 243-270 MAAC mark in 33 seasons as a conference member. The Jaspers' storied men's basketball team was established in 1904-05 and served a two-year hiatus during the 1943-44 and 1944-45 season due to World War II.

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